US–China science and technology accord expires, maybe for the last time

The Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA) between the US and China that has been in place for about 45 years, and lapsed back in February, officially expired in late August, perhaps for the final time. The State Department said that the US and Chinese governments remain in communication about the agreement, including ‘the necessary guardrails around any such cooperation, strengthened provisions for transparency and scientific data reciprocity’.

The STA, which has until recently been renewed every five years, provides opportunities for the two countries to collaborate on science and technology. When it was about to expire in August 2023 the Biden administration renewed the agreement for six months to determine how to proceed and then subsequently passed another six-month extension that has just expired.

The agreement’s expiration has occurred amid concerns in the US that China is an unreliable or untrustworthy research partner. The State Department said in a statement to Chemistry World that the US ‘remains committed to advancing and protecting US interests in science and technology’.

Gregory Kulacki, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ East Asia project manager, said it is ‘unfortunate the two governments cannot find a way to extend what used to be a non-controversial agreement that benefits many individuals and organisations in both nations’. ‘The benefits of cooperating far exceed the risks, especially at a time when many of the world’s most pressing problems, including the climate crisis, cannot be solved without scientific cooperation.’

‘There’s no finality in diplomacy,’ Kulacki continued. ‘But in the absence of an agreement all the activities that took place under its auspices must come to a halt.’ The longer the lapse between the STA’s expiration and a new extension, the more damage it will do to longstanding cooperative programmes and professional relationships, he added.

Without being a party to the talks, Kulacki said it is difficult to know the sticking points. Still, he suggested that US domestic political considerations in an election year may be influencing the Biden administration’s willingness to risk Republican criticism if the agreement is renewed.